Biyograficim
Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar)

Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar) (translated)

Movie · 1989 · 4 people

Tunç Başaran directed Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite, a 1989 Turkish drama adapted from Feride Çiçekoğlu's 1986 novella of the same name, with a screenplay credited to both Çiçekoğlu and Başaran and production by Magnum Film. Çiçekoğlu's own years in prison after the September 12, 1980, military coup lend the story an autobiographical foundation. Set in Ankara in 1984, in the coup's aftermath, the film portrays everyday life in a women's prison through the eyes of five-year-old Barış.

Forced to grow up behind bars because of his mother's sentence, Barış (Ozan Bilen) watches kites flying above the courtyard as symbols of freedom and forms a deep bond with İnci (Nur Sürer), a political prisoner. The film won Golden Oranges for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography at the 26th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, was named Best Turkish Film at the 8th Istanbul International Film Festival, and was selected as Türkiye's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards. It was restored in 2024.

DirectorTunç Başaran
Production companyMagnum Films
Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar) Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar) Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar)

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Füsun Demirel Füsun Demirel Actor · 68 years old Fatma Meral Çetinkaya Meral Çetinkaya Actor · 81 years old Safinaz Nur Sürer Nur Sürer Actor · 72 years old İnci Ayla Arslancan Ayla Arslancan Actor · died at 78

Also in the cast: Ozan Bilen (Barış), Güzin Özipek, Güzin Özyağcılar

Titles sharing this cast

More from this director

Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Set in Ankara in 1984, in the aftermath of the September 12, 1980, coup, the film shows everyday life in a women's prison through the eyes of five-year-old Barış. Being adapted from Feride Çiçekoğlu's novella, rooted in her own years in prison, gives the story the weight of testimony. By showing the coup era through women prisoners, mothers and children, it brings a less discussed side of those years into view. The kites flying above the courtyard become a simple but powerful symbol of freedom. Four Golden Oranges at Antalya and its selection as Türkiye's Oscar submission show how highly it was regarded in its day, and the 2024 restoration is a chance to bring it to new generations.

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Some films leave an ache in the heart for days afterwards, and Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite is one of them. Looking up at the sky through the eyes of little Barış, growing up behind bars, is an experience full of both pain and hope. The bond between the child and İnci, played by Nur Sürer, is drawn with a plain warmth that never tips into excess. Tunç Başaran handles a heavy subject tenderly, without raising his voice. A film with a conscience, one of Turkish cinema's finest, and fully deserving of the awards it won at Antalya.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

The subject is heavy: a five-year-old forced to grow up in prison because of his mother's sentence. Because the film tells it through a child's eyes, it is easy to follow and very moving. But it may be too sad and dark for young children. If you want to talk about the coup years and the value of freedom, watch it together with middle- and high-school-age kids. A little conversation afterwards helps.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments